Two Sides of the Same Coin

In the UK our one pound coin has the Queens head on one side and various images reflecting the ‘home nations’ on the reverse. The reverse design of the coin changes every year in a five-year cycle of designs representing the United Kingdom, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Each coin is therefore identical on the one side but varied on the other (having said this, the Queen’s head has been updated a few times over the years!). I was reminded of this image whilst in prayer recently.

 

Much of our on-going mission is about serving and blessing specific people groups in various parts of the communities. We are working to make God’s love tangible by moving out of the ‘comfort’ of our church building, recognising that people unfamiliar with church are coming to us and our events less and less. We must go to them and out of compassion, love and serve them at their point of need.

 

If we think of mission being somewhat like our pound coin, the varying missional expressions and social action are a bit like the different images on one side of the coin. They reflect identity and relevance. We know these are important in being good news to people. In our mission we must never lose sight of the fact that we are primarily concerned with people’s eternal destiny and their spiritual security. For this our hope and confidence are in Jesus.

 

The side of the coin with the head of our Queen Elizabeth II represents royalty, our sovereign. Our King and our saviour is Jesus Christ. As Christians we are called to serve the poor and needy and to give our lives to this end. At the same time, Jesus says that we should be praying for workers to go into the harvest field and to reap the harvest. Our individual love for and deep appreciation of Jesus is fundamental to effective mission. One Reading Church has been through a season of repentance for not bringing Christ into the heart of their social action and missional expressions and as a result has seen over 30 people come into relationship with Jesus as a result during the first six months of 2011!

 

Our newest missional expression is currently being launched. “Yocogo” is a local community gospel choir (Your community gospel choir) and it has been formed because of the growing popularity of involvement in gospel choir singing. It would be a sad irony if the people involved in the choir were never given the opportunity to be personally introduced to the one they are singing about!

 

Let’s ensure that our lives, church and mission expressions reflect both the Lordship and life of Christ and the compassion of the Father as we engage in an increasing amount of mission opportunities from Brookside, Reading and across the nations.